Seeking Advice on Baby Dandruff

When my little one had cradle cap, I would give her a warm bath and would let the water soften the scales. Then after the bath I would take a very fine toothed comb and would comb the scales out. Don't over comb though, it will cause their little heads to get red and bothersome, just get what you can. In time it will go away.

I have also heard that you can rub oil on their heads before combing the scales... haven't tried it though.

Have you tried switching to soy milk? My son had the same thing and switching over to soy helped a lot.

Funny because I just talked with my pediatrician yesterday about this. She said not to worry about it but if you wanted to try and make it better to try using shampoos that leave less residue. Her example was the Johnson & Johnson leaves a thick residue and Paul Mitchell doesn't. She also said to comb her hair when her scalp is still wet to help dislodge some of the dried skin.

Hope that helps!

Just put baby shampoo on his head and rub it with one of those baby hairbrushes, it stimulates the scalp and removes the flakiness. Just be sure you don't use baby oil or other products that will keep the "dandruff" stuck to his scalp.

Use baby oil. Slather it on his head, and let it soak in. Then take a nit comb (one for lice), and gently scrape the stuff off of his head. Then you'll need to wash his head several times over, so that none of the oil is left...I did this for my daughter, who had SEVERE cradle cap, and it worked well. In fact, when I got dandruff (it's rare for me) I did the same thing, and it worked on me, too!

I worked with infants 6 weeks to 24 months for 6 years and have seen and treated cradle cap a 100 times! What I've found that works is to use the comb (if you still have it) that he came home with from the hospital. It has really fine teeth. after soaking his head with baby oil (cradle cap should soak it up) then attempt to comb (front to back so that flakes don't go into his eyes) Some hair may come out... DON'T worry that is the hair that has fallen out but cradle cap has kept it from falling away from the head. Your sons hair should start to grow in well after as his scalp will be able to breath. Just do a little at a time and keep touching his head... the more you touch his scalp the stimulation his hair follicles get.

I hope it helps!!! :) Happy combing!!! :)

My son got cradle cap once. i bought this stuff from wal-mart called gentle naturals cradle cap care and it worked great. you just put it in the hair and brush with one of those newborn brushes and then give him a bath. takes about a week or two but safer than selson blue.

Hi P.,
They still consider it cradle cap. I let my son soak in the tub and wet his hair first (a lot). Then scrub it out when it gets soft. I wash it a few times to get it soft and they say it goes away by age 3 if we keep up after it. It can get worse so try and catch it early or it takes longer to get more off. Good luck.

My daughter has had scalp issues for years and I have found some remedies that have worked well for her. First of all, I changed to a shampoo that was nurishing to her scalp and provided moisture relief.

Secondly, I purchased a special oil that does not contain mineral oil. It's very soothing to the skin. I apply it directly to her head where the scalp gets particularly dry and it's amazing how it works.

I would suggest switching shampoos, especially since many shampoos contain harmful ingredients that most of us are not aware of. Just because it's packaged with pretty colors and cute cartoons doesn't mean it's safe. Just something to keep in mind. :)

S. C
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Best wishes,

V.

Good Morning P.! What worked wonders for my son which my Sis told worked for her girls is. . Massage Baby Oil into the scalp then comb and give them a bath. Worked wonders! Good Luck and Happy Holidays.
S.

My daughter has this too, and it's finally going away at 27 months. When she was smaller she'd let me pick at it so it would flake off, but when she refused to let me do that anymore I tried rubbing her head vigorously with a soft brush instead. That she likes, it always makes her giggle, and I find that it frees up some of the cradle cap to flake off. Then we just wash her hair really well to get the flakes out. After about three months of doing this, it's mostly gone - at least, in the areas where it's most noticeable. My doctor says not to worry, it will all flake off eventually and isn't doing her any harm in the meantime.

Hi P.. My daughter had the same problem when she was a toddler, too. I have really great, GREEN products that might be able to help with your son's dandruff problem. Maybe we can connect. Please let me know if you're open to take a look.

I used Lansinoh or lanolin on my baby's head. Olive oil would work also. Those are strong enough to alleviate the dry skin that is causing the cradle cap.

Hi P.,

My little girl at 6 months got the craddle and our doc told us to go to the pharmasy and get MEDICATED "SEBULEX" DANDRUFF SHAMPOO, they didn't have it stocked and had to order it but it really worked foor us and our friends babys too. It cost about $10 buck, the only draw back was you're little boy will smell like an old lady. (LOL)

GOOD LUCK

Cradle cap? I used baby oil on my kids' scalps,soaking their hair and their scalps, saturating the cradle cap. Then I took a very fine toothed baby comp and combed their hair down to the scalp. It loosened the 'flakes and build-up'. The I washed their hair with baby shampoo. I made sure to wash their hair/heads every day, conditioning with a drop of baby oil rubbed into the scalp. Selsun blue is too, too caustic for a bsby's skin and if you were to get any in his eyes, extremely painful.

Take good care!!!

A little bit of olive oil massaged into the scalp will help. It can be a little unsightly, but it doesn't actually bother him. If you're worried about holiday pictures or with family or anything, you can let him wear a hat for those few times.

My pediatrician told me to put baby oil on my son's cradle cap. It softens it up. With the oil on we were able to get some off but for the next day it was still soft so I just kept working on it slowly and now his head is clear of all flakes.

What I found easiest to get rid of cradle cap was I would gentle use my finger nails to scrape off a little at a time when my daughter was asleep or when I was breastfeeding. I have tried using a fine tooth comb and baby oil which was horrible and messy. Good luck! Don't worry it will eventually clear off just give it some time.

Hi P.,

My son had cradle cap as well and I used organic olive oil (not baby oil - this is a petroleum based product and not really good for your baby) with therapeutic grade lavender essential oil mixed in. (Use essential oil in low dilution for children.) Comb / rub scalp gently and then shampoo with organic baby shampoo. I only had to use it once or twice and we never had the problem again.

www.originalswissaromatics.com is a good source of quality essential oils.

Depending on how bad it is, will depend on the amount of treatments necessary. Please be careful with any products that you use on your child's body. Their skin is so delicate and absorbs things very easily. Selsun Blue is made for adults, not for children. I personally won't use products on any member of my family that I can't ingest. Think about it, please. The shampoo that you are currently using on your child may be making the problem worse.

Good luck!

B. W.

My daughter had cradle cap. I know it looks strange and well not perfect and cute and well I wanted it gone. I read up on all the stuff to try for it (shea butter, baby oil, etc.) and then I tried 2 things and both you can get at babies r us. One is by Mustela and it is their cradle cap lotion. The other is Gentle Naturals (Disney baby). I used these as directed along with the little brush and right away I saw results and in just a couple days it was gone.

My oldest had cradle cap really bad and our doctor reccommended that we use baby oil and then put a beanie/tight cap on for about 30 minutes before bath time. It took about a week or so to get rid of and each time we would have a drastic change in weather it would flair up again so I would just be ready with the baby oil! Good Luck!

Baking soda is what worked for us. Also, when it gets really bad I put a little hydrocortizone cream once a day. It usually disappears in a couple of days.

We had the same problem with our boys - use Paul Mitchell baby shampoo (i think they call it kid shampoo now)....it is no tears & wonderful & safe for their skin!

P.,

Just leave it alone. Cradle Cap bothers us parents more than the baby, they don't even know it's there. My son has fine, blonde hair and I'd just pick it off when he was sleeping on me. My daughter had thicker, darker hair so it was harder for me to get hers than his. It will eventually go away on its own without special shampoos that (I think) are too harsh for an infant's scalp.

Melissa

We used baby oil. Just put some on his scalp a few minutes before bath and let it soak in. Then use a very soft baby brush to scrub it away. Whatever you do don't pick at it or tear away any pieces that are still on his head. Shampoo like usual and dry. There is also Aveeno which has a special cradle cap formula, that works really well if its not to bad.

Lots of great suggestions here. Please be conscious of any "treatment" you use. There are lots of concerns about cosmetics (which include shampoos and lotions) and the ingredients they contain. Research 'pthalates' and 'parabens' if you want more information.

Try going to a natural foods store and asking about food-based remedies. My mom put olive oil on my daughter's head when she had a mild case of cradle cap at 4 months--it was amazing... and safe! We used the little sponge we got at the hospital to brush the flakes out. After a couple treatments, it was greatly diminished.

I used 100% shea butter. Rub it in, comb it out. It might take more than one try.

We get it in bulk (it is very cheep that way) and we use it for other things as well. It might be that any heavy cream would work as well.
N

Hi P.,
My son was born in The Netherlands where they recommend not to use shampoo on babies or children with cradle cap. To me it makes sense as shampoo dries out the skin.
My son had a bad bad case of cradle cap, all the way to his eye brows, which eventually disappeared. We used no soap or shampoo on his head but an organic baby oil based on flax seeds. A god organic olive oil should also work.
Do not get tempted to scratch it off, it can easily cause infection.

Good luck

hi P.,

first off, please don't use harsh dandruff shampoos on you sweet baby. they are simply too harsh and contain ingredients not recommended for babies tender skin.

next, use oil on his scalp, but i don't prefer typical baby oil because it is mineral oil which is derived from petroleum. olive oil or apricot oil are best. apply it generously and allow it to sit. i let my son marinade for at lest 24 hours. gently comb front to back and them shampoo with a gentle baby shampoo.

you may have to try this procedure a few times but it works like a charm. i hope this helps you!

The only thing that got rid of our daughter's was Head & Shoulders (the sensitive formula). After trying other natural solutions (such as gently scrubbing her head with olive oil and a toothbrush) for months, her doctor recommended H&S. It was gone within a week. Also, a lot cradle cap seems to clog the area (for lack of a better word). Both my daughter's hair and her friends started coming in quickly once the cradle cap was taken care of.

I stopped washing my baby's hair as often. When I first brought her home from the hospital, I thought I had to wash her head at least every other day in order to keep cradle cap away, but she had it anyway. Then I talked to some other moms who said they only gave their babies baths every three or four days (depending on how dirty they got), so I lightened up a bit, and her scalp started looking a lot more normal. I think her hair got thicker too, but that might just be the normal course of things.

Good luck.

My little guy had dandruff & our pediatrician said it was proabaly a food allergy. We cut out dairy & it all cleared up.

Don't use ever dandruff shampoo on a baby! And there's no need to buy expensive products for cradle cap.

Get a baby hairbrush and pour baby oil onto it. Rub it into his scalp until it is soft, then use baby shampoo to wash it away.

It may take a while to clear up, but when you remember how fast your baby's skin is growing, it's no wonder it builds up like this.

If it is really scabby then start by soaking in oil (baby or olive), and then rubbing off the scabs with a soft cloth. Then to keep in under control you can gently brush with a natural brisle brush before each bath. This has help my son with out the need for eye irritating adult shampoos.

Best of luck

You can rub some olive oil on his head, let it sit a bit, and then use a comb to scrape off the cradle cap.

when my daughter got craddle cap'ish dandruff her ped reccomended just using good ol' head and shoulders. its very conditioning too so that helps. and yes, you need to do it a bit more carefully than baby shampoo but it is ok to use and oftenly enough recommended by peds. it worked pretty fast also and never came back! i do believe there is something for craddle cap by hylands i think. they make all sorts of things like teething tablets.

After you bathe and use the dandruff shampoo, make sure the scalp is thoroughly dry! Rub with a towel briskly! Keep dry between shampooings.